Color theory and terms

I know a lot of you here are self taught artist and now tattooists. I was fortunate enough to have friends show me how to tattoo and for along time I was a self-taught artist with some basic skills I picked up. I have always been able to draw and I’m an excellent draftsman when it comes to pen and ink or pencil.

When you start to throw in color it starts to get complicated. I was fortunate to actually put my self through school again and get my Degree in Illustration. I thought I knew a lot before I went back but now while almost completing my BFA I realized there was a lot I didn’t know.

I’m going to talk about color and give you guys terms so those things you already knew about now have terms and things you were trying to figure out might become a little easier.

So when it comes to color there are some basic terms. This can get very complicated but I’m going to try and keep it simple and more to the point of tattooing. I have put in a couple examples free to print it out and keep it as a reference or you can purchase a more professional color wheel at any art store.



Terms:

Primary colors- basic colors that make up all colors
Yellow
Red
Blue

Secondary colors- Colors made by combining two compliments together
Yellow+Blue=Green
Red+Yellow=Orange
Blue+Red=Violet

Complimentary color- Two colors directly across from each other on the color wheel; usually a primary across from a secondary. These are the colors when you see them you say, “Those really go together”. That’s because they compliment each other. Whatever combination; these colors set each other off, no matter if you add black to one and white to the other they just go. These are the best combos to use when doing color pieces but feel free to add other colors

Yellow/Violet
Orange/blue
Red/Green

Tint- lightening a color by adding white. Just remember that white makes things go cooler

Shade- Adding black to a color to make it darker. This works sometimes but don’t use black as your crutch. Depending on what company of black you use it can be either a warm black or cool black and could muddle the color you are trying to darken and give you a weird color

Tone-adding grey to a color to de-saturate and dull color. This is really good when trying to achieve different greens, blues or violets. I would tend to stay away from doing this to oranges,yellows, reds and browns. Feel free to experiment and see what you get. You might like the results that you get.

Mute- adding two compliment colors together to either lighten or darken a color without dulling. It makes colors a richer gray or brown when combined. This is a pros tip when it comes to using color. This is what separates the novice from a pro. It’s a subtle thing but people notice it. By using the compliment it can make the color lighter or darker with out making it look dead or losing its saturation (color purity).



Analogous color- Colors on the color wheel that share a common color on one side of the color wheel. This is a good way of lightening or darkening your colors to keep them nice and bright. Adding red to darken orange and yellow to brighten and so on.


Coloring Technique-

Now that I have given some basic terms I’ll give you some tips on how I color things. This is the way I do it, if you find a way that works best for you. You need to do anything that gives the piece the desired look and best result that work for you. Some people might not agree with me but this is what I have found through trial and error to work for me.

When I started tattooing I was told to go darkest to lightest. This way you won’t get a dark color in a light color when you work over already tattooed skin. I found out that once ink is in the skin that they won’t mix unless you tattoo that color in. I sometimes jump around when putting colors in It varies form tattoo to tattoo. Just make sure you don’t jump around stay organized when you do it.

When I need to tattoo large areas of yellow and white I do them first. That gives it time for it to calm down and stop bleeding so I know if I need to fill in any areas I missed or if I have to shade over with another color. Yellow will look orange form the blood coming out if it after you work on it. Then if I need to tattoo orange into the area I won’t have to guess where it has been. I can see where I’m going

I was told that I need to place the colors next to each other. So if I do a tattoo that fades from red to yellow I would tattoo up to a point and feather it out then come from the other side and feather it out to when they just meet.I don’t like this technique. You can see where someone stops and the colors aren’t as saturated and don’t have a good harmony.

I like to do a base fill of the local color and fade it out to where there will be a reflected light or highlight then shade over it. The colors look deeper and more saturated.

Like I did in the turtle pic. I first did the yellow green then I shaded the darker true green to give it form then I outlined the details over it with the same true green. Using the liner for the swirls made it seem darker but it is the same green. By using this technique I avoid empty spots.



Negative spaces or ghost areas-

When I have a tattoo and people want an area that looks like it is under a band of water or like you are looking through something it’s really easy. Tone back all of your colors.

Say you have a koi fish with waves passing over and behind. Anything that is going to seen behind the water I tend to tone it back by grayining or tinting the ink. I do the outline in a gray and use all the same colors toned back.

White Ink-

When I use white ink I use it sparingly. I use white for highlight or for cutting down colors. I also use it to give more opacity and brightness to some inks. Adding a drop or two to yellow or orange in the ink cap will make the color brighter.

White needs to be next to another color to stand out. I tend to use a liner to do highlights. You need to be careful when doing highlights you can over work the skin because you can’t tell that the ink is in. It takes a bit for it to show up. You need to let the skin calm down and stop bleeding.

White is heavy, when mixing a color use your larger ink caps. Start with a color then add white over it. The white is going to sink through it because it is a heavier pigment. If you put the white in and add drops of color you are going to have a hard time trying to mix it.

Warning: Keep in mind that white ink doesn’t show up on all skin types. Darker the person more likely it won’t show up on someone.

Custom mixing-

If you’re rich and tattooing everyday then you should invest in a full range of colors but the reality is you are going to need too mix custom colors for individual tattoos. Here is how I make certain colors.

Greens: start with a basic company green, equals parts of blue and yellow no white. If you want a dark green add blue, if it starts to go too blue then add a little black but pure black will make it look muddy. If you want a warm green add yellow and maybe a little white. If you want it to be a cool mint green add white. If you want turquise. Start with a drop of green and then add blue and white till you get the desired shade.

Yellow: If you want a paler yellow add white. If you want to make it a golden yellow a drop or two of brown. Adding orange will make it darker but add more then two drops and it will start to go towards a yellow orange. Black will sometimes make the yellow go green if it’s a really cool black. The blue will come out in the yellow and throw off your color.

Browns: You can make your own brown, like if you want a flesh tone for a portrait or a character. It will sometimes add to the character that gray wash just can’t compare. To make brown start with a good even orange; not too yellow or red, then add a dark or regular blue, till you get a desired brown. Then add white to get the desired tint you are looking for. Adding red or yellow with change it to help match the skin tone of the person you are working on.

I hope this helps you guys out. I suggest getting some cheap acrylics or colored pencils and experimenting with colors when you draw up your next tattoo. It might help you or you might think I’m an idiot, either way you learned something new.

-Enjoy

cheers mark!i was wondering about mixing ink colours.i guess ill just have to remember to mix enough of it to finish the whole tattoo so i dont get a 2 tone effect if i run out the first time!

Awesome man, thanks a bunch!

Totally awsome Mark, I majored art in highschool, and recieved scholarships to Kc Art Institute, Colorado Art Institute, and Emporia State. Unfortunately the Army offered me a good deal that would get me into Colorado Art Istitute for free. Which incedentally turned out to be a crock of shit, I totally got screwed. Anyhow that was almost ten years ago, and I had all but forgotten the beloved color wheel, which can be your best friend. I definately will be digging out one of my old wheels and some of my old notes and work to get a refresher on colors.
Thanks again, apriciate all the help I can get.

Thanks Mark, this will actually come in handy, I've recently decided to take some art classes, figure might as well get some formal training, it could only help.

These are actual terms so they will ltransfer over when you take classes that have to deal with color.

Quick question...

Can you add white over a black tribal? I've herd of it but never seen it. I was told that after the black has healed you can go over it with white and get the white on black look.

Call me crazy... but I kinda assumed that even if the black has healed the white would mix with the existing black and gray out.

It dulls it when you do it. This guy I know used to do his cover ups that way. If he had a dark tattoo he would have them come in and pound white into it. Let it heal then go over it later. It makes it look muddy and dull unless a tattoo is done with a homey made machine or cheap ink it can't be covered easily.

Even though teh people on here are novice everybody here is using the proper equipment. If these tattoos suck they will be harder to tattoo over because of the quality of materials being used so keep that in mind. A pros tattoo is much harder to cover then a person using home made machines and India ink A.K.A. prison type tattoos.

You see some of those really bright-saturated tattoos that look like you can dive into them? It takes a couple sessions of adding color to get them that dense with color.

I thought so...

Thanks Mark

Damb god info. Keep it comeing. Thanks

Mark,
another question... for example that turtle that you posted with the base color of yellow with the green shading. Is it possible to lay down the base color of yellow in one session let it heal, then do the green in another session and still get the same effect. Or does the ink need to be wet to get a better blend?

Yeah you can do it in stages. Especially if it's a huge piece.

cool thanks man.

Great post Mark!

My gig on the primary and secondary colors has always been to draw (I am sorry if I offend anyone in this and I don't mean to) the Star of David. The first triangle is the primaries and the second triangle is the secondaries.

Thanks for the additional info! I forgot all of that since high school. Well not forgot, but haven't put it into terms.

Yeah it's called the tri-attic color wheel (if thats the proper spelling) . There are actually 6 primaries when you mix colors for painting, aren't the same colors as paint colors. You have warm yellow (cadmium), cool yellow ( lemon). Red blue( Ultramarine)  Green blue( turquise). Warm red( cadmium)and cool red( rose tryrein)but thats pointless since tattoo inks . This is what I have found for tattooing.

Here are some topics I think are helpful from past discussions. I’m posting in to get them to the top I’ve seen these asked again and again so instead of responding, here they are up top to reference.

WOW top man
we need more lessons from you
8) 8)
tbox

I don't know if you can do it but maybe some of these would be useful as sticky topics. They'll always be there for when we get newbies then. And it'll avoid us keep answering the same questions.

Great info.  Forgot alot of that info from art classes.  Great refresher.  I will have to pick me aup a color wheel, that is for sure.

Very useful info, i thought i was up there with the color mixing.

Cheers.